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Unfortunately, we had to come home from the beach. You see, I’d left my chef’s knife at home and seriously, people, I never knew I was the kind of person who had to have their creature comforts to cook. In fact, I get some sort of sick enjoyment out of making do with whatever’s in front of me (see also: my shoebox kitchen with a mini-stove, single tiny counter and a climbing baby over- under- and hanging-off-of-foot, putting everything he can find into his mouth) but I got bested last week by a drawer full of dull knives and not a sharpener in sight. You don’t want to know what the best of the lot did to some tomatoes — it should be ashamed of itself! Plus, there were the small matters of a city baby who refused to sleep in such foreign places with large rooms, crickets and scaryflowers outside and the fact that we’d only rented the house for a week. What were we thinking? Two weeks! A month! More! Farm preschool, here I come!

And so, I’m back, at least physically. (My brain is still with the swans.) These were supposed to be the perfect beach house breakfast, as what could be a better embodiment of high summer than fresh corn kernels sauteed in butter, lightly salted and tucked into a barely sweet pancake? Nothing, clearly. Alas, they never made it into our rental kitchen but they’re quickly becoming a regular at home and they seem gunning for a savory application too — nixed sugar, a dollop of sour cream and fresh tomato salsa. And now that I’ve given you an excuse to have pancakes for breakfast for dinner, I think my work is done here and I’ll go back to looking at North Fork real estate working hard on that cookbook.

About the sweetness: in my family, we drench our pancakes in maple syrup so I prefer the pancakes themselves to have little or no sugar, for contrast. If you’re one of those noble beings that like your pancakes plain, you might like an additional tablespoon of sugar in them. As I mentioned above, I think these have great savory potential by skipping the sugar and increasing the salt, served with sour cream or salsa.

Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet or griddle pan over medium heat. Add corn and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to brown ever-so-slightly. Sprinkle with salt and set aside to cool. Wipe out skillet.

Lightly beat egg in the bottom of a large bowl, then whisk in buttermilk, corn, vanilla and sugar. In a smaller bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet, mixing until just combined but still lumpy in appearance.

Reheat your skillet or saute pan to medium. Brush the pan with butter and ladle 1/4 cup batter at a time, 2 inches apart. When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, flip them over and cook them until golden brown underneath. If they seem to be cooking too quickly (dark on the outside, raw centers) turn your heat down to low for the next batch and inch it up as needed. Repeat with remaining batter, and serve immediately with a pat of salted butter and a healthy dose of maple syrup.

I make a delicious version of these minus the sugar. Then I top them with a sour cream, lime juice and cilantro sauce. I make them blini-sized and everyone dollops the sauce on top. They’re always the first to go at summer parties!

these sound absolutely AMAZING! i cannot wait to try them. i’m taking part in a local food challenge right now, and apparently there is no such thing as local flour in wisconsin… but as soon as i’m back on the flour train, these are going to be making an appearance in my kitchen!

by the way, i recently found your blog and absolutely LOVE it! i’m a new blogger, and yours is definitely one i am turning to for inspiration. thanks for putting such lovely content and pictures out into the world!

This is the closest recipe I’ve ever seen (in English) for corn pancakes. I am in love with them at a Columbian breakfast place in Minneapolis and have never been able to make them at home. I can’t wait!

(Also, they are divine with a little Cotija cheese, if you want savory over sweet.)

Ahh this looks like a great recipe. I attempted to make something similar last month up in Maine per my father’s request, and it was just alright. This, though, this looks REALLY good. Can’t wait to try both sweet and savory versions.

Dang, those look really fluffy! I made some sweet corn custard last weekend that turned out a little too corn-y for my taste, but I’ve been dying to find a good sweet corn baked-type thing that hits the middle ground. These pancakes sound like they might be just right!

oooh i have been all over the corn lately, since it started showing up at the market here in zürich. last weekend was banana cornbread. and now this is up next, i loooove corn pancakes, sweet especially. zoom in on huge gallon jug of maple syrup. can’t wait for the weekend already.

Damn, I wish I had cornmeal in the house right now — I actually have a couple of random ears of corn in the fridge that would be perfect for this (and this looks so much better than the leftover Chinese food I’m currently eating for breakfast).

After fighting with my mother’s cuttlery every time we returned to PA to visit, we finally purchased a blade protector so we could bring out good knife with us. God help me if the Port Authority ever searches my luggage. Which reminds me, I must add this to my packing list for my own Shore vacation in September!

Those look amazing! I’ve been toying with the idea of using the batter from my favorite cornbread recipe, which (damn Yankee!) contains sugar, on the griddle as a pancake batter just to see what happens. Now that I’ve seen these, griddle I must.

I always bring my paring knife and chef’s knife with me (and sometimes various other pieces of my kitchen) when I rent a house–I’ve learned the hard way! So many people don’t understand why I would want to cook on vacation…

These look delicious! I make something similar with canned corn instead of fresh, year round, and serve them with bacon, avocado, and rocket (arugala) for brunch! They are delicious! I will try your recipe next time, sans sugar.

I am from Baltimore, too! My mother made them and also called them corn fritters. She also made rice fritters using leftover white rice. In the fifties and sixties, our family used Log Cabin syrup, but I use pure maple syrup these days.

Great recipe! I make corn pancakes for dinner all the time–but I add an amount equal to corn of shredded, salted and drained zucchini or yellow squash–and in the batter I basically go equal parts flour and cornmeal. The base batter you have here is fine for just adding the squashes straight in. Squash always seems to “disappear” and doesn’t require extra batter. Sometimes, if I’m making BLTs for dinner (a summertime easy favorite) I barely pour off the bacon grease and cook the pancakes directly in it! Growing up on a farm, mom would often bread and fry tomato slices right next to the corn or zucchini “fritters” in the bacon grease. Nothing could be better than this! Mmmmm.

I’ve made do with some pretty scary rental kitchens. I can handle pretty much anything. Stoves clearly not installed according to fire code, only one thin bottomed pot, burners that have only two settings, coolish and burn-everything-to-a-crisp-in-half-a-second, but dull knives are the hardest to deal with (especially since my husband bought me a new M.A.C. knife (just ’cause he loves me, awww).

gorgeous, and these remind me of a lovely pancake dish i had at a restaurant a while back. sadly, i used all my corn on this lovely dish of corn pesto that i just posted about, but i think there’s more coming in the CSA this afternoon – woot!

Considering my love of pancakes of all sorts, I cannot wait to try these. I would probably switch out the all-purpose flour for whole wheat, though. I also wonder what would happen if you didn’t saute the corn first, but just threw it in raw. Could be too sweet…or just downright yummy!

My parents live in a tiny little town in Texas surrounded by farms and cattle ranches. And yesterday my mom called because she wasn’t sure how she should freeze some sweet corn a family friend delivered to their doorstep yesterday. It was an on-the-cob or off-the-cob crisis.

At first I was flummoxed as to why she would even need to freeze beautiful summer corn. But, apparently, “some” corn in the spirit of small town neighborly sharing is approximately 4 dozen ears.

I am so forwarding her the link to this recipe. And then I am also demanding she save at least one bag of corn for when I go to visit her in a few weeks time. Because, even though I could totally make this recipe on my own, pancakes always taste better when my mom makes them!

Yum – Corn fritters are a staple on the cafe menus down here in New Zealand, usually served with avocado, sourcream and sweet chilli sauce. So good but my favourite way of having them is (and it sounds a little nuts) with lemon and sugar sprinkled on top!

Ha! As far away as we moved from NYC, I still browse the North Fork Real Estate websites. .
This sounds wonderful and is actually a dish that I can find all the ingredients for .. here.
I have a friend whose baby hates “Nature” .. the ground, a flower, a leaf, grass, god forbid any of it touches him. I, on the other hand, had a baby that had to be watched every minute, he liked to eat the grass, flowers etc :)
Babies are fun, aren’t they :)

Yes, I learned my lesson about rental house knives at last and bought some little paring knives in plastic holders as well as a pair of chef knives in a wooden case. These go at the bottom of my suitcase (checked of course!) whenever I go to Italy and rent a place with a kitchen. Impossible to use those dull knives! Better luck next time!

Katy — Yup! I seriously wanted to haul everything home from every market. Actually, I hauled a lot home and now it’s sitting in my kitchen tap-tap-tapping for me to come up with something new to do with it.

Ahh, it is always so hard to come back from vacation and face “real” life. I have made sweet corn pancakes, but the idea of little savory ones is new and intriguing. I will be adding that to my long list of things to make. Thanks for the idea!

Mmm…. I think I would like these. Yes I would. And what I don’t like? Going somewhere with dull knives, so I can completely understand your feeling of needing to be back in your own kitchen (although sad to leave such an awesome vacation home!). If I am going to a friend’s place to cook, etc, and I know they have dull knifes, I usually pack up my favorite chefs knife and bring it with me. That might be crazy, but that is the way i roll. :)

wow, only 90 comments to slog through. I am waiting for that cookbook, and it better have your photos and not some stylist’s idea of what’s hot.
That said, where was that beach?
I ruined my throat yesterday with sunchips, and now can only eat slushy stuff like the limeade thingy, except that I have none of the above in the house, and could not do citrus anyway with the throat and the reflux… no I’m not 90, (there’s 90 again!) but i’m starting to wonder…

meg — You get a gold star for reading all previous comments. I’ll be doing the photography. I mean, I am doing the photography, like right now. :)

Life and kitchen — No. These are truly a buttermilk pancake, with a very slight extra texture from cornmeal, with sweet corn kernels speckled throughout. I am sure there’s potential to make them more cornbread-like (I’m thinking Jonnycakes) but these are really pancakes.

I hear you about the frustrations of cooking in an ill-equipped kitchen! I mean, no sharp knife?? We have taken to taking a capsule kitchen kit with us on vacation that includes a sharp knife and a coffee maker!! I think, though, that the number one sin of which vacation properties are guilty is simply not providing equipment large enough to cook for the number of people the house is supposed to accommodate!! We take a short break with a large group of friends every February, and the number of times that a house that allegedly sleeps 14 simply hasn’t had a pan big enough to cook pasta for more than four is outrageous! OK, enough. LOVE the corn pancakes. LOVE anything to do with corn…. except I live in the UK and it’s just not remotely the same here. I cra-a-a-a-a-a-ve good corn.

In Minneapolis my favorite thing to do is to go to the Farmer’s Market on Sat mornings then to Maria’s Cafe for corn pancakes…mmm…the best way to order it is with a side of cojito cheese (kind of like a parmesan thing). Sounds strange, but the salty sweet thing is amazing.

Knifes: If you’re ever in dull knife-land again, find a piece of pottery with a raw edge..bottom of a coffee mug, a bowl, pizza stone (ha!) a flower pot..and hold the knife at a 5-degree angle to the pottery edge and give the blade several long sweeps on both sides..or as many as it takes to sharpen it satisfactorily. I always test the blade on a cherry tomato to see if it can slice it easily. It’s not perfect, but it does hone the edge enough to get you through.

Pancakes: Corn..this is what I’ve been missing! We’ve been making these zucchini and yellow squash and carrot cakes sort of like fritters, using an egg, corn meal, butter and a little flour. They could use the corn, too..maybe mashed at bit to extract some starch. Your cakes look so good. Can’t wait to try them.

Susan — As always, so helpful! I hadn’t even thought of that. You get very spoiled when you work with sharp knives. That would have helped.

P.S. I mentioned this in my gift guide many moons ago, but I swear by my Furi to keep my knives sharp (and desperately wish I’d brought it to the beach). I don’t have the time or energy to schlep my knives to a fancy sharpener as often as I like them sharpened (constantly for me, given the amount that I cook) nor am I much of an expert on sharpening my knifes like a good professional chef. The Furi totally covers my tush. If I buy someone a chef’s knife as a present, I always throw one in because it allows you to be totally self-sufficient in your knife maintenance. Apologies for the product plug but it’s a really great one and as I hope you all know, I buy 100% of the stuff in my kitchen with my own cash.

Corn fritters vs. these pancakes — I see a lot of corn fritter comparisons and am fearful that people might be disappointed when they try these. They are a pancake with corn kernels in them; the corn kernels take up maybe 1/3 the volume of the pancake. So, it’s studded with kernels rather than using kernels for the structure. There’s definitely potential to double the amount of corn in them, but I might be tempted to puree half of them with the buttermilk so that it’s not too hard to keep the kernels inside the pancake. Can I admit that sounds really good to me? I obviously have to try that next.

Another wonderful recipe! Looks like your week away was a lot of fun. I’ve been out there on the North Fork – my friend has a house there. It is quite lovely and you had gorgeous weather indeedy! Oh and my knives in my all-the-time kitchy are duller than dull. When I save up some loot that is going to be my NEXT purchase!

These look delicious… almost as delicious as the photos from your trip. They make me want to pick up and drive to the North Fork right now. Just for the farm stand! Gorgeous! Perhaps your next book should be in the travel genre?

I made these tonight and they really didn’t work out. The batter was extremely thin and when I spooned it into the pan it just ran everywhere. The pancakes were thin and greasy and basically inedible. The same thing happened to me when I used your buttermilk pancake recipe, even though I’m following the recipe to the letter. I’m not an amateur pancake maker! I don’t understand what’s going on.

These looks so good. I have been dying to try the beet pancakes from Good to the Grain. These corn cakes sounds like they would also be good with some roasted peppers. Lovely. Glad you were able to relax.

Oh my gosh – corn pancakes for dinner were one of my favorite things as a kid and one of my dad’s specialties (that everyone else said was weird). I’m going to have to send him this post, he’ll love it!

I just watched an episode of Good Eats where Alton talked about the wonders of homemade pancake and waffle batter. Sadly, I’d never tried to make any from scratch (but I always use good quality pre-mix!). These look delicious and may be my first dive into the homemade kind!

Elizabeth…Your batter does look too thin! Did you add the cornmeal? Your batter should look thick and almost gritty. I think if your gave the cornmeal a few moments alone in the milk before adding the flour, it would thicken it considerably.

Elizabeth — I can’t make sense of it either. (I left a response last night for you — on the wrong post! It’s like I’m new here or something.) I dug and dug but couldn’t find my photo of the pancakes in the pan, I guess it came out that awful looking and I deleted it. But it looked nothing like yours. You can probably see in the batter photo that mine was pretty thick. I do remember some people responding on the buttermilk pancakes that they’d found it a little thin (again, nothing I’d run into but obviously a concern for some) and realized while adapted this from there that you can pretty easily dial back the liquid. This recipe has 20% less liquid and the butter, rather than going directly into the batter, adding liquid, largely clings to or is absorbed by the corn (or left in the pan), so possibly 25%. I’ll watch as other responses come in, see if anyone else runs into the problem.

I’m excited to try your take on a corn pancake recipe – I have a similar recipe that I clipped earlier this year and have been wanting to make all summer. However, the last three weekends that we went to the farmers market, the corn we got ended up lacking most of the kernels – perhaps because of drought?

Anyway, as soon as I find some decent corn, I’m going to make corn pancakes – perhaps topped with blueberry syrup!

Those have my mouth watering! And I have at least 2 kiddos who will eat those up :) I have been wanting to make a Farmers Market run, and now I have a good excuse to get some sweet corn, thanks for the great recipe!

Last weekend I purchased a waffle iron JUST to try out a cornmeal waffle recipe that sounded really good.
My favorite type of corn muffin has whole kernels of corn in them that add little chewy bits to them. So I was thinking about adding whole kernels to the waffle mix…
Then you come along with this genius idea of replacing some of the grainy texture with a little bit of soft & fluffy texture in the form of a pancake!
I’m thinking buttermilk fluffiness + corn kernels + butter + syrup = exactly what I’ve been looking for! I am so trying these this weekend! Thank you!

Hi Deb! Real cooks and chefs will cringe, but… my mother in law told me of 2 tools to sharpen knives in a pinch. 1) aluminum foil. 2)a ceramic mug.
told ya you’d cringe. :) For the former, crumple a good size up in your hand, and run the knife into the side of the aluminum ball furthest from your hand in the same motion as while using he sharpening stick. For the mug, flip it upside down, and run it up and down the bottom of the mug in the same manner. give it a try! :)

Oh Deb, has this made my day! I just spent a weekend in Sugar Hill New Hampshire, where I had to most fantastic pancakes that I have ever eaten (buttermilk corn, buckwheat, oatmeal…I had a sampler). I brought back some fresh corn and a jug of syrup, oh, and some cobb smoked bacon. I can’t wait to try this recipe! Your buttermilk blueberry pancakes have become a standard in our home. My kids (they will always be kids even if they are in their late 20’s) are coming for a long weekend. I think we will have a pancake feast on Saturday Morning! Thank you so much. BTW, I travel with my Furi also.

Thanks for posting these Deb!! They too are a beach treat for me and my family! We have been enjoying them at a local restaurant for as long as I can remember! We usually make regular pancake batter and then add a healthy dollop of just off the cob corn while they’re in the pan. I can’t wait to try your recipe!

The only time I ever had corn pancakes was at our cabin when I was a kid. Of course, these were nothing like yours!! But they were GOOD! I LOVED them! I so want to make these for my kids and see what they thing. Thanks!

I feel your pain.. Just last month I had this realization while at a beach house. From now on: Chef Knife, Sharpener, Cutting Board (large), Decent Sautee Pan, Coffee Maker… and frankly, a microplane or zester (if you are as obsessed with zest as I am)- ALL of these things will go with me to my next summer rental. The horrors committed on local produce are too many and too shameful to admit… not to mention the time it took me to make fresh salsa using a dull oversized steak knife. or using an even duller fork/steak knife combo to zest a lemon…sigh.

Know exactly about dull knives in a rental unit… because of past experiences, my family now packs our own razor-sharp knives, a grater, sometimes a can opener, and a large salad bowl… one year a house didn’t even have a cookie sheet! That was horrible.

My grandmother used to make something similar to this to go along with fried chicken (they were a bit more like corn fritters). So painfully delicious. May I recommend next time you make them, serve with fried chicken and maple syrup doused over everything. bliss.

When I was just a wee one, my mom used to make my brother and I corn pancakes for dinner! It was always our number one choice and I hadn’t thought of making them in so long! Thanks for posting this recipe, now I can invite my brother and mom over and we can relive those glory days of corn pancakes for dinner!

I also think making them savory sounds AMAZING! Anything with sour cream on it gets me every time.

I totally hear you about the chef knife-that & spring loaded tongs are a NECESSITY I just can’t live without! Tried slicing seared tuna w/a steak knife while on our vacay this summer in the OBX…wasn’t pretty.

In Rhode Island Johnny Cakes (cornmeal pancakes) are king. But I like to add a handful of fresh corn kernals to mine. I usually go for more cornmeal and less flour and I’m addicted to Kenyon’s cornmeal: http://www.kenyonsgristmill.com/home.html. But I love the fluffier texture of your pancakes… I may have to try your recipe next time! Oh… and every so often I add some crumbled bacon into the batter – amazing!

Yes, never leave home without a good knife! I learned that on my last vacation, I was so frustrated every second in the kitchen there. It’s the sign of a serious cook I suppose … my, could I possibly call myself that?!

Heading to an antique Appalachian cabin near the Blue Ridge Parkway this afternoon with a big bag of fresh corn picked this morning. Guess what’s for dinner tonight! We’re having fried chicken and instead of rice I’m making THESE to be the recipient of my hot southern (made with canned milk and fresh cayenne) chicken gravy! Think I’ll make it a little thinner than usual too.

And Susan & Sharon are right about knife sharpening. Have made bludgeon edge blades razor, and quickly. Look for a big plate or platter with exposed ceramic surface on its foot and slide the knife across. You will be amazed at the precise edge you’ll get. Sometimes do this in my own kitchen when I’m rushing and don’t want to wet up my stone.

I have been making savory corn cakes for a long time–add scallions to the batter, yum! But one great topping I can suggest is caramelized onions with a few teaspoons of dijon mustard and balsamic stirred in, it is a must try! Love the blog, your recipes are my go-to spot. It has been fun to watch the baby grow too! and Jacob is ridiculously cute (from a photographer who specializes in kids, so I know from adorable!).

Darn! Now I’m sad that we actually ate the last two ears of corn last night dripping with butter and salt. I can’t wait to try this recipe out and oh well, gives me the excuse/reason to head to the farmer’s market Saturday morning!

I am not a noble being – bring on the syrup. These pancakes are so fluffy and I can only begin to imagine how tender they must be. By the way, I commiserate with you on the dull knives. It is the one thing I can’t stand while cooking.

After months of silent fandom, I am coming out of the woodwork to say that these pancakes are AWESOME! I had some corn that needed to be used, so the timing was perfect. They were delightfully pancake-y, but with the added charm of corn fritters. I made both a savory version and a sweet one, dividing the batter in half (pre-vanilla, of course!).

To the sweet half I added nothing, except perhaps a touch more sugar, and also a sprinkle of powdered sugar over the finished product. To the savory half I added 1 chopped jalapeno (which I seeded, but that is optional), about 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and a generous sprinkle of paprika before cooking. Yum! Thanks again for this recipe!

These look amazing. You are right, they do seem more like a Johnny Cake. I’m in WI and the corn now is beautiful. Going to have my husband (the chef) read this post and get after it. Great idea, great photos. Keep up the great cooking (and posting it for everyone else.)

Deb, I have read about the Furi sharpener and it sounded wonderful…until I saw the price. Now I see the price of the Furi sharpener is all over the place. How do you decide which on to buy? I would love to know that a $16. one will do me as well as an $80. one.

I asked this before, and I am going to ask again! Could you please make the links you put in your posts a different color or more pronounced? Being the nosey (curious) type I want to know it all, I don’t want to miss anything. I can get lost for hours clicking links in your posts. Love your blog, love your pictures

While I am at it, is there anyway that you can set it up when new posts are added to a comment section? For example, Elizabeth might like to be informed when you give her your ideas on what went wrong with her pancakes.

I have an idea why her pancakes might (just might) be too thin. I live in South Florida and I have no air conditioning. It is very humid here. I find I have to use much less liquid in many recipes (bread in particular) because the flour absorbs humidity/liquid from the air. She also said her pancakes were greasy. It looked to me like she had to much grease in the pan. I thought that pancakes should be cooked with a barely greased pay or griddle? and maybe her pan was not hot enough.

June123 — How did I decide? Easy. I’m incredibly cheap and my first rule of buying anything on earth (This is like Smitten Kitchen Business Axiom One, heh) is to buy the least expensive version first (you know, presuming people seem to like it, which they do) and if I use it so much that I use it out or am dying for something better, then upgrade. Because of this inherent cheapness, I’ve discovered that I have no idea what the $80 Furi offers, but I don’t need it, that a $20 mandoline has suited all of my thin-slicing needs for years and that inexpensive kitchen supply baking pans work as well as anything else. :)

There is an RSS feed for comments: http://smittenkitchen.com/comments/feed/ where one can watch new ones come in. There’s also an RSS feed for comments on each post… I’ll see about linking that into the template. Thanks for the suggestions.

Have made this type of corn pancake for years, lots of times for entertaining. Never sweet, always a savory version and here’s the best: serve with sour cream and tomatillo (green) salsa. To die for. Like another poster above, mine has scallions in the batter too. My sister was up in Olympia, WA this past weekend for a birthday celebration and she was making a double batch of the corn pancakes. She called to tell me that she never even got them on a platter, people kept coming into the kitchen and eating them basically right out of the pan – they are that good! Enjoy y’all!

We have taken to bringing our knives everywhere we go. Dull knives are terrible. And tongs. My husband gets cranky if we forget tongs. Kitchen snobs.

The pancakes look delicious, almost like a new cornbread variety for breakfast. I’m interested in the savory versions of the pancakes. I might have to give that a try with some peppers diced and in the batter.

I would like mine with butter and syrup, by the gallon please. Love how recipes like these can be so simple but bring so much pleasure. I was just brain storming on how else to use my (ten tons of) corn and had got stuck on arepas but I think these pancakes might do the trick!

pfouah, brilliant. We just got back from our honeymoon at a rental house on lake Michigan. The house, the view, the lake, the location – perfect. The knives, the skillets, the cookware – abysmal. We ate out a lot.

I just got back from a 4-day backpacking trip in the Rockies. We took along your raspberry bars (made with mixed berries), a bunch of trail mixes using the pepita granola as a base, and the chocolate peanut butter crispie bars. All were a huge hit!

I made these for dinner tonight and they were delisious. However, I did have the same problem with the batter being too thin, and the first ones were greasy. I think June123 could be right that the batter may have been thin because of humidity. We also do not have airconditioning and here in IL it has been humid. The first greasy ones were deffintely because I had too much butter in the pan. It also did seem that the corn kernels and cornmeal sank to the bottom of the batter. Perhaps if I stirred it a little longer it would have stuck together. What do you think? How long should the batter be mixed for? I probably did it for 30 seconds, until it was all mixed, but then the corn sank. These were really tasty and I have some more corn I need to use up, so I deffinetly want to try these again. But, deffinetly would like for them to look more like the picture in the post. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

These look great and can’t wait to try them. Regarding the ills of the rental kitchen: we have a wonderful rental in Maine that we return to every year, that has a VERY old kitchen (Revere Ware pots, the dullest of knives, a tiny collander). But we love that house! So, every year we buy a “gift for the house”, which means that, as the years go by, there WILL be at least one nice knife, a good set of tongs, big enough cutting board, and so on. It’s a great excuse to visit the awesome kitchen store in Bath…

#108 and #164 about thin and greasy pancakes…maybe it’s the kind of flour you are using in your area of the country? Hard wheat from standard “northern” brands usually has higher protein content than soft wheat used in typical “southern” brands, and therefore will suck up a lot more water before it goes thin and runny. I’m guessing Deb uses something like Gold medal or Pilsbury, which is standard all-purpose and “middle of the road” in terms of protein content. But if she’s using King Arthur (easy to find in the northeast, not so much elsewhere in the country), you will have to dial back the liquid a lot. Shirley Corriher has a great explanation in her CookWise books on this phenomenon. Bisquick or other “pancake” flour is usually very soft, and therefore needs a LOT less liquid than AP might. Good luck!

Away from home and the kitchen has only dull knives and no sharpener? Been there, done that!
You can always get a reasonable edge by sharpening one knife on the back of another. Just use the back edge of a knife as a sharpening steel. You wouldn’t do it to a top grade knife but if they are in very average condition, this will do. I’ve got a knife sharp enough to filet a fish in this way!

I just made these — both with bueberries and without — and they are fantastic! I use King Arthur flour and had no problem with runniness. I used to find my pancakes were too thin until I changed my baking powder from one that contained aluminum to Rumford, which doesn’t. Everything rises much better now, especially pancakes.

Wow. I am a huge fan of real, fluffy pancakes (served only with real maple syrup of course) and am obsessed with Jersey corn in the summer, cut right from the cob. This seems like the best of both worlds! Yum!

I made these last night, they were delicious! I tried one with maple syrup, but I found the strong flavor overwhelmed the corn. A little drizzle of wildflower honey compliments the corn perfectly, and reminds me of my favorite corn bread, only crispier and sweeter. This recipe is a keeper! (I suppose I could use frozen corn niblets during the winter, but fresh from the field is always better)

Still befuddled by the two of you who had thinner, greasy pancakes (but love the helpful responses). An easy way to “fix” it is to just dial back the liquid in the recipe, of course that only helps time. You might also replace some of the buttermilk with a full-fat yogurt or sour cream which will give you a similar flavor profile but a slightly thicker batter.

Oddly enough, when I make pancakes, I find the last batch to be the thinnest as if the batter gets thinner as it sits in the bowl. The first ones for me are generally so thick that I pat them out a little.

#169 — I use aluminum-free all of the time too; I wonder if that plays a part in it.

It’s possible my flour was the issue? I was feeling cheap last week so I bought the store brand of flour. Is that really something I should be concerned about?

When I made my pancakes, I didn’t want to add more flour because I was concerned that the adding more flour would also mean adding more baking powder and I didn’t want to add the wrong amount. Also, the last time I made pancakes (from the adapted version of the Martha Stewart recipe) I added a LOT more flour to account for the runniness and while they did dense-up, they were basically soggy pads in the pan. And believe me, I’m using as little butter as possible!

Humidity shouldn’t be an issue because we’re pretty well air conditioned over here…

The only other thing I can think of that may have caused my problem is that I’m making my own buttermilk (you know, the milk+vinegar trick). Should I be buying fresh buttermilk?

I made a savory version of these last night for dinner and they were sumptuous! I used 2 ears of corn from my CSA box (so delicious sauteed in butter), dialed back the sugar to 1 teaspoon, and upped the salt to about 1/2 a teaspoon. Plus some freshly grated pepper. I appreciated that these weren’t oil-logged like some pancakes, and the buttermilk made them fluffy. Topped with salsa, sour cream, and a bit of leftover roasted onions and potatoes. I’m excited to have the leftovers for lunch today.

Well done! This blog entry i mean. Just reading through the description and the preparation for these so-called sweet corn pancakes made me crave for it.
I like having it for breakfast and even mid-day snack. delicious!

I’m not which to try first – sweet or savory. I love corn – can eat an entire pan of corn bread. #177 really like the sound of your creation – I think I’ll borrow it if that is OK. Until the local health food store started carrying it – I’d buy King Arthur online – not sure where but I could look it up.

Deb..I have used the aluminium free baking powder too and don’t love it in batter that has to sit. It has baking soda in it and it loses it’s umph in a batter that isn’t used all at once..and quickly! I’ve switched back to the double acting for pancakes. (I don’t use it often and, frankly, I don’t taste much of a difference like others seem to) Also..I give pancake batter a few quick folds before ladling it on the griddle, every time. It keeps the batter more evenly mixed and doesn’t seem to affect the slightly lumpy texture. it also helps to use a larger griddle to make more at once, so it doesn’t sit too long. Gotta get the most out of the gas from the baking soda!

This is my first time commenting, but I am a big fan of your blog. I am actually making these, the savory version, as I write this (serving tonight with pulled pork, slaw, and tomatillo salsa). I am, however, sadly having the same problem as #108 and #164, though thankfully minus the inedible-ness…they may look like thin, corny amoebas, but they are YUMMY and should suit my purpose beautifully. The only thing I did differently is use water + buttermilk powder (a recommendation from Cooks’ Illustrated I recently am trying out). Could that be my issue? Another thought: when you said any kind of cornmeal did you mean any brand or any grind (making a triple batch I used 1/2 cup med. grind and 1/4 cup fine grind)? Also, I agree with you on the thinner ones as you get towards the end…that always happens to me too. BTW: I made the scalloped tomatoes last week and they are insanely good. Thank you!

When I was growing up in the ’40s and ’50s in Upstate NY, my mother sometimes made for weekend breakfasts what the family called Corn Griddle Cakes. They were really pancakes with corn, but with bacon and maple syrup they were a huge treat. They weren’t sweet, but the syrup flowed freely. Because fresh corn was limited to about one month in summer back then, she used either canned creamed corn or plain corn year round.

I grew up on corn pancakes and they’re by far my very favorite breakfast! My recipe doesn’t contain any cornmeal, but I just add lots & lots of corn kernals (particularly left-over corn off the cob) to my regular pancake recipe. I almost never make pancakes any other way. One occassional deviation will be blueberry pancakes with corn in them too! With real butter, real maple syrup & some crisp thick bacon…corn pancakes are sweet savory heaven!

So yummy! I have been making corn pancakes for years, when I saw a quick recipe in one of those dollar cooking magazines in the splurge section of the grocery. I will have to see if I can make some this weekend. At this point, I think the only thing I should be making is a mondo-nap.

I’ve had arepas on my mind this week. Not the authentic ones I’ve had the opportunity to try, but the oily, cheesy, sweet kind I used to get at the ballpark as a kid. Two corn pancakes with a thick slice of Monterey jack in the middle, fried so the jack drips out and crisps on the griddle. I think these will be a great start. I love the salsa idea. I think they would be great a little sweet with some chili. Or if you make a big batch with low sugar, you could pop them in the oven with some fresh tomatoes and herbs on top. Maybe even some parmesan cheese.

I just made these using frozen corn (I couldn’t find anything pretty whilst out looking today), and while I haven’t made them with fresh to get the full effect, the ones I’m eating right now taste pretty darn good! Thanks for the great recipe, and beautiful pictures (oh how I want to go to the beach now!).

Just had these for dinner. Spread sour cream over the top, dumped some slightly drippy diced tomatoes on top of it, and then capped it off with the black bean confetti salad. NOM. Will definitely eat this again – and I definitely recommend using the black bean recipe with it!

Awesome! I can’t wait to make these. By the way, I went for a check-up today and met my new doctor. I was telling him about my food blog and he said, “oh yeah? My wife really likes one called SmittenKitchen.com. So there you go, you have fans in Santa Monica, CA!

I made these for lunch today and really enjoyed them. The batter was thinner than my normal breakfast pancake batter, but they were so light and fluffy that I forgave it. I added a little extra sugar, but decided against it for next time. I also used canned corn because I needed to get rid of that corn already. I’m looking forward to trying it with fresh corn.

Next time I think I might serve it savory with black beans and salsa for dinner. I’m of the opinion that every mother needs a slew of pancake recipes to whip up for any meal in a pinch and this is going on my list. Thanks!

I doubled this recipe for my family of 5 tonight, and I cut the buttermilk to just 1 cup (2 cups when doubled). The batter was nice and thick, and the pancakes were perfect. I did them on my griddle with just a single squirt of cooking spray. I served them with both sweet and savoury toppings (omitted the sugar completely from the batter), and everyone was happy.

HOLY CORN CAKES!!! These are soooooo scrumptious, deeelish, and that fresh sauteed corn makes adds the perfect yummy crunch! Can you tell that I love these! The farm stands’ organic corn is simply the best right now. And one of my latest finds in my attempts to keep as much in my own kitchen local and organic: “Wild Hive Farm” located in Dutchess County, NY actually grows and mills their own grains (yes, corn and wheat included) and make it available for pick up to anyone who’s interested at the 14th street Green Market with a just a phone call).
Smitten and farmer’s markets have made every meal a hit! Thank-you!!!!

I always carry a frequently sharpened Swiss Army Knife that has gotten me through some “way too dull” kitchen knife fiascos. Tomato skins fall away at the site of it and it’s small enough to fit in my purse. I just can’t fly with it.

Deb,
I cheated when I made these pancakes, I used a corn muffin mix to create the main part of the batter, I was tired from work and they were for supper that night!! My husband loved them and the texture was great! We finished the batter this morning(leftover from Thursday night), they were excellent this morning! Thanks!

@ Elizabeth, #176 — I know this is probably sacrilege, but I always use store-brand flour, ’cause it’s cheap and really, to me, flour is flour (within the same type, of course — one AP is as good at the next, but AP is not bread, self-rising, etc.). I made these with store-brand flour and didn’t have a problem.

I read the recipe and was thought it would be great with the Hot Spanish Chicken I was making for my grandsons. So I cut the sugar, omitted the vanilla and added a finely chopped jalapeno pepper to the corn before I sauted it. The boys LOVED them! I will try them the original way, but my grandsons seem to prefer them spicy. Thanks for the recipe.

This was our breakfast this morning. It was also our 8 month olds first meal with the family, as in, eating the same meal and not a bowl of purees. I did puree the corn after it came out of the pan to make it less of a choking hazard. It was an honor to have SK be his first ‘meal.’

We made ’em for breakfast this morning, and I have a few ideas as to why some readers are experiencing runny pancakes: the type of grind of the cornmeal, the point at which the cornmeal is added to the liquid ingredients (I read the directions wrong and added it with the sour milk), the amount of corn (I doubled it just for kicks, preferring an increased ratio of corn to batter), and the degree to which the corn is sauteed (got mine too dark, as I’d gotten the pan too hot). I think all these elements (and possibly more) may make a difference in the finished product. That said, we enjoyed them, especially those on which I’d tossed a handful of blueberries. We’ll make them again for sure. Thanks, Deb!

I am enjoying these for breakfast right now and they’re delicious, just delicious. I think I ate half of the pancakes myself! The only thing I’ll do differently next time is separate the eggs, whip the whites and fold them in at the end to make them even more fluffy…

I could use these dish as part of Latina/o cooking. I prefer these cakes topped with avocado,lettuce, and tomatoes . This was the first time I prepared and ate with butter and a healthy dose of maple. tasty.

Tried these this weekend and they were excellent. Tried a few different toppings: Maple syrup…so, so. Threw a few freshly picked grape tomatoes into the pan after cooking the pancakes…a touch of olive oil and S&P, which was really good as a topping. Like the idea of the goat cheese on top. Maybe even chive/carmelized onion-infused greek yogurt or sour cream. Thinking of throwing green chilies into the batter next time. Thanks for a great recipe!!

My mom used to make corn pancakes on Sunday mornings. I haven’t thought about those in a long time, and if I had, I would have thought they were her invention. Though she used canned corn (and maybe Jiffy pancake mix?), I loved your scratch version with fresh ears! We ate them with syrup for dinner – excellent.

So I’m not one to make changes, but here’s a suggestion if you want to make it savory. I was worried they wouldn’t turn out, but it was well worth the risk:
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c thinly sliced scallions
omitted sugar and vanilla
increased salt by 1 tsp

We had these savory for dinner last night (with chicken, black beans, tomatoes, olives and cilantro lime dressing on top) and our little person had them sweet with syrup. My batter was also quite thin, which others have noted, so I just added some additional flour till it was the consistency I wanted. Yum!

I made these savory too! Added one diced jalapeno pepper to the corn while in the saute pan and also chopped scallion and grated fresh parmesan cheese in the batter. Served with a dollop of sour cream and diced grape tomatoes and avocado on top–YUM!

Made these over the weekend and while I loved them, they initially were very thin as a couple of others had trouble with. I added some extra flour to tighten them up, but still were not the same lovely thickness that your photos were! However, I’m pretty sure my problem was twofold, perhaps others made the same mistakes
(1) I “made” buttermilk with lemon and milk – still don’t think it was as thick as using proper buttermilk (I was too lazy to head to the store)
(2) I own a food scale, however for unknown reasons, I neglected to weigh the flour. I think that probably was more of the problem than the “buttermilk”. Just a thought!

I will definitely give these another go – potentially as a savory pancake with some added scallion and a poached egg on top… mmmmmmmmm

My roommate and I just made these, the savory kind, and served them with chili – delicious! It was a perfect combination. This is a really a wonderful recipe idea. The pancakes were fluffy and full of corn-sweetness. It was a wonderful complement for our dinner!

How does your little guy like pancakes? At 11 months he’s not yet at that “I won’t eat anything but cookies” stage that my toddler is in. But I make pancakes twice a week and he will gobble those down. I tried these and he loved them. To make them a bit more toddler friendly (i.e. cram as much fat and nutrient into them as possible) I add some greek style yoghurt and an extra egg. Another great toddler recipe is the carrot bread pancakes I found somewhere (and can’t find right now for some reason). Yummy AND vegetable-y!

Sarah — Actually, this was his first pancake! We were out to brunch several weeks ago and I was looking for something to order for him. The place actually sold a single corn pancake as a side! Of course, I had plenty of it too and I really liked it but I wanted to play with it at home which led me to this. This version has the cornmeal, more corn and is a little less dense.

I made the savoury variation of this recipe last night, and they were very yummy. I did find the batter a bit thin, and the two pancakes sort of fell apart when I flipped them, but the rest were fine. So delicious served with salsa!

My mom used to make her regular cornbread batter but then fry it up on the cast iron griddle like pancakes and serve it as an accompaniment to chile. I do the same thing but add corn to the batter, which is even better. Being Southerners we eschew sugar in our cornbread, but if you’re going to serve it with some maple syrup, then well why not!

Great recipe. The solution to awful knives at rental units or your friends’ summer shares (their rental units) is to assume that all rental places have nothing but awful knives, and to bring your own. Plus a shoebox full of your favorite herbs, spices, baking chemicals — soda, powder/cream of tartar, whatever you use — salts, grinders, small sharpening stone, paring knife and sharp peeling instrument, which you dedicate to the cause of home-away-from-home. The only time not to bring your own knives is when you’re flying and not checking a single piece of luggage. Looking forward to testing the corn cakes soon. ;o)

These were so tasty! I went the savory route, although I left the sugar in for a bit of sweetness and just added a bit more salt along with some scallions and sweet red peppers. I think a little bit of sharp cheddar would have made them even better, so I’ll have to try that next time!

About thin pancakes…
I am almost certain it is the buttermilk. I have made these twice – first time I made my own buttermilk with lemon juice, and they were very thin, even when I added flour. Maybe I didn’t wait long enough for the ‘buttermilk’ or maybe it just doesn’t thicken up the same? But the second time I bought buttermilk and it was obviously much thicker and resulted in perfect pancakes. Needless to say, next time I am making pancakes I will use real buttermilk!

My mouth is seriously watering; your blog is amazing and this recipe is unreal! I have shared this with my family and we created these pancakes this morning…they were perfect and I thank you for a truly delicious recipe! Happy Labor Day!

I had the same experience as some others (runny batter and greasy pancakes) and also used the milk + vinegar = buttermilk trick. I’ve never had issues with using that substitute, but it seems to be the commonality amongst those of us with this pancake problem! Will try real buttermilk next time and will report back.

Thanks for the inspiration! I recieved a few ears of corn in my CSA share this week, and I adapted the idea for these pancakes to fit my latest favorite buttermilk pancake recipe, the one from Chez Panisse Fruit, and they just turned out fantastic. There seems to be a number of comments regarding the baking powder component, so I’d just like to note that the one from CPF doesn’t call for that ingredient. I suggest trying it out. They are quick, easy, and more-or-less flawless. I use it as a base pancake, and make tremendous ingredient adjustments each time, and they have yet to fail me.

I adapted your recipe to be gluten-free and vegan to accommodate multiple food allergies – and despite my changes, these turned out fantastic and I think were true to the spirit of your original creation. I had an issue with overly-runny batter, too, but thought it was due to my changes. I added more cornmeal and almond meal until it looked the right consistency.

I made this on Sunday for my husband and myself. Very delicious! Used fresh corn my Mom had brought for us from Indiana. Made enough for 2 people. I might go the savory route next time, but was great with butter and syrup right off the griddle.

I have been wanting to make these at home for years (we live by a place that makes AMAZING corn pancakes). Being 9 months pregnant and chasing after a 15 month old made the thought of going out for breakfast sound like torture-so I used the last lonely piece of corn lingering in the fridge. My little girl ate these up…well..like hotcakes! TIP-the best way to eat corn pancakes is with butter, syrup, and cotija cheese. Sweet and salty and amazing.

I made these this morning with local corn. They were delicious. I used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose, and they were amazing. I also made local peaches with cinnamon and brown sugar cooked and ued on top. AMAZING!

Have just been reading some of the other comments and realised how easy it is to misunderstand other peoples ideas, so just to be clear( because it was sooooo yummy) we cooked the green apple and ham separately until just tender and then served it with the pancakes covered in maple syrup as I mentioned Yumbo

I made these Saturday on the savory side (no sugar or vanilla)
I really loved the fresh corn-ness to them. Served with salmon and a maple mustard sauce, continuing the Brinner theme. These are now on my go to list.

Hi Deb! Made my tweaked version of these recently and they were so yummy! Planning on making them again, since I bought fresh corn this weekend!
If you don’t mind, please could you check out my blog? I’m 15 and started a food blog about a week ago! Would mean a lot! Thank you! :)

Came across this recipe while trying to find ideas to use up some corn. This was perfect. I decided to make sweet ones for breakfast and a batch of savory for dinner. I split my corn in to 2 pans and in one I added garlic, green onion and jalapeno. I made up a double batchof batter, skipping the vanilla for now. I used about half the sugar and whipped this up in the kitchenaid. I split my batter in to another bowl, adding a squirt of honey to the savory as I have come to terms with my sweet corn bread addiction, and a few pinchs more sugar to the sweet with some vanilla. Dont judge. i know I have a problem and thats the first step lol. I folded in the plain corn to the sweet batter and cooked them up. Delish! I added the corn and veggies plus a quarter cup of sharp cheddar and a bit if cilantro to the savory and cooked them up as well. They were fanastic with barbacoa and gave me leftovers to freeze. Definate keeper!

Wow! These pancakes are all that and a bag of chips (did anyone else say that in high school…15 years ago…)
But seriously, I made them for the first time tonight and declared them the best pancakes I’ve ever had. I made them exactly as you said but in the absence of fresh corn used frozen. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
Thank you, thank you :)

I just cooked these up after a LONG weekend at work-added some extra salt and a little chopped red onion and jalapeño. A dollop of plain greek yogurt and some blackened shrimp…..definitely the highlight of my day. Thank you!!

My mom always brought knives and a cheese slicer on vacation with us. We would often eat lunch out of the cooler in the back of the van at a rest stop or in a National Park. I carry knives with me whenever I travel now too because you never know when you might need to cut something like the cheese you couldn’t resist or the giant peach to split with a friend. A few strategically-wrapped paper towels and a rubber band do the trick every time!

Just made these. They were wonderful. I had a couple of small substitutions: I subbed leftover corn on the cob from last night that I had grilled, just rewarmed in the butter. Worked perfectly. I only had polenta grits instead of cornmeal, but that worked nicely too. I had some leftover blueberry syrup that was quite nice on them as well, though my favorite was the pure maple syrup. Thank you for the inspiration.

I love your recipes! My only complaint is that I have such a hard time printing them. Is there any easy way? I thought you mentioned there being an easy way to print recipes when you updated your website recently. Would love to know!

Made this tonight for dinner, and it was absolutely delicious. Only swap was I used semolina (sooji) instead of the cornmeal, which I don’t stock – turned out great. I’ve always stuck to eating sweet summer corn straight off the cob, but this was worth the effort. MY two-year-old gobbled up two pancakes too, one with blueberries and the other without. Great recipe! May try it next with some whole wheat flour to replace all purpose.

I must say I found these to be very underwhelming… the batter didn’t even smell yummy in the bowl, let alone when these were cooking…usually when pancakes are cooking, the whole house is filled with a welcoming scent that tells all in the house “breakfast is almost ready!” Instead of making these, I would take your favorite recipe and make it and after you pour the batter in the pan, just add the corn to the wet batter side of the pancake… even with butter and real maple syrup these were nothing to write home about…